Juan de Simancas Simancas (died 1570) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as
Bishop of Cartagena (1561–1570) and
Bishop-Elect of Coro (1556–1561).
[ ''(in Latin)''][ ][Arquidiócesis de Cartagena: "Obispos: DR. JUAN DE SIMANCAS SIMANCAS 1561 – 1570"]
retrieved September 5, 2016
Biography
Juan de Simancas Simancas was born in
Cordoba, Spain, the son of Diego de Simancas Bretón and María de Simancas,
[Banco de la Republica: "III-Obispos de la Catedral de Cartagena"]
retrieved September 5, 2016 and the brother of
Diego de Simancas,
Bishop of Zamora.
He attended the
Universidad de Bolonia.
On 12 Jun 1556, he was appointed by
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV (; ; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death, in August 1559. While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed ...
as
Bishop of Coro
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Coro () is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in western Venezuela. .
In 1560, he arrived in New Spain to be consecrated
but was instead appointed on 5 December 1561 during the papacy of
Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...
as
Bishop of Cartagena and not consecrated bishop until April 1564 by
Juan de los Barrios
Friar Juan de los Barrios y Toledo, OFM (1496 – February 12, 1569) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Santafé de Bogotá of the New Kingdom of Granada, (1564–1569), ''(in Latin)''
Bishop of Santa Marta (1 ...
,
Archbishop of Santafé en Nueva Granada
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
.
Soon after his consecration, tensions rose with the then governor, Juan del Busto, over a free
mulatto
( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...
woman who had been enslaved and fled to the bishop for sanctuary to which he granted.
The governor demanded the return of the woman and when Simancas refused, he charged the bishop with theft and put the city under martial law; in response the bishop
excommunicate
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the co ...
d the governor.
The situation was also aggravated by the priestly community which had refused to absolve any
encomiendos (settlers) of their sins via confession until they returned property stolen from the Indians; a stance the bishop supported.
The situation soon escalated with the Indian population refusing to work and instead fleeing to the churches for sanctuary and the governor and his successor, Martin, violently removed them by force.
Simancas then excommunicated the lieutenant governor, Francisco de Salazar, for publicly living in concubinage with Marian de las Casas.
Salazar responded by physically assaulting the bishop's emissary.
The situation became so heated that Simancas was forced to sail to Spain to seek the mediation of the King which resolved the situation.
However, the conflict so exhausted Simancas that he resigned without license
in 1569 and returned to Spain
where he died in 1570.
He is buried in the Capilla del Espíritu Santo.
While bishop, he was the principal co-consecrator of
Pedro de Ágreda Sánchez Martín,
Bishop of Coro
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Coro () is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in western Venezuela. (1565).
References
External links and additional sources
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simancas Simancas, Juan de
16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in New Granada
Bishops appointed by Pope Pius IV
Bishops appointed by Pope Paul IV
Roman Catholic bishops of Cartagena in Colombia
1570 deaths
Roman Catholic bishops of Coro